The Beacons
by EpicThoth3
Summary: For the longest time, Ray (OC) has been the only known Beacon. He has singlehandedly had to hold off the Dragon and his army, stop them from taking over. But help is on the way, because, in accordance with the prophecy, seven more Beacons have just been discovered. Their names? Phineas, Ferb, Isabella, Buford, Baljeet, Irving, and Django.
1. Prologue

**Yeah, I've been having minor writer's block recently. But I'm introducing a weekend update policy. From now on, I will only update on weekends, but I will update everything I have. This story is The Beacons. Trust me when I say everything you don't understand in this prologue will make sense eventually. As long as we're clear that I don't own Phineas and Ferb.**

**Thanks to 14AmyChan for her beta services.**

* * *

Ray parried a blow and jumped over the man behind him, giving him a huge gash across the top of his head as he did so. The moment he landed, Ray ducked, avoiding another blow. Then, swinging his sword around him, he managed to hit two or three people. He stood up, and then sidestepped to avoid yet another strike, stabbing the man in the stomach before he could launch another attack. Ray quickly dropped and rolled under the legs of yet another enemy. When he found his footing again, Ray leaped into the branches of a nearby tree. Hoisting himself up, he finally got a good look at the situation.

They were all around him, and more coming with every passing second. As much as Ray could try, he would never be able to hold them all off, even with his special abilities. There were just too many of them.

So Ray turned to his last resort. He had very little time left before they would be upon him again. With every ounce of energy he had left, he lifted his sword up into the air, so the sun's rays were reflecting off of it.

"Get out!" he screamed. And Ray brought his sword down, stabbing it into the wood of the tree.

From the point where the sword met the tree, a blinding light emerged, engulfing the entire area. Then, a loud explosion echoed throughout the region.

When the dust cleared, there was nothing to be seen. Nothing alive, at least. Hundreds of people were scattered across the ground, dead. But Ray wasn't among them. He had jumped clear of the explosion at the last second. Don't ask him how he could jump that far. He just could.

With the enemy away, for now, Ray whipped out his cell phone, and called the one contact he had. The one contact he was allowed to have.

When the phone was answered, Ray only said two words before hanging up.

"Clear me."

Almost immediately, a hovercraft materialized above him, and a platform dropped down from it. Ray stepped on the platform, which then began to ascend back into the hovercraft.

* * *

The first thing Ray saw in the hovercraft was the man he had called on the phone: a dark-skinned, well-built man, with many scars running across his face, indicating that he had been through a lot, and was not a man you would even dare to cross.

"How did it go?" he asked.

"It's worse than we thought," Ray replied.

"How bad?"

"There were hundreds, probably closer to a thousand Shadows."

"All in one place?!" the man screamed in disbelief.

Ray nodded grimly.

"You should count yourself lucky to have made it out alive," said the man.

"Yeah," Ray agreed. "If I was any other Beacon, I probably would have lost my life there."

By now, the two men had reached the conference room, where they sat down in chairs across from each other.

"What are we going to do now?" Ray asked.

"I don't know," replied the man. "I don't know."

"Do you think it could be the prophecy?" Ray inquired, as he thought of the idea.

The man pondered this idea for a while. "It could be. I hope it is."

"Why?"

"Because it means we have help coming."

A third man chose this moment to enter the conference room holding a large stack of papers.

"The radars picked up some new activity," he said, taking a seat and sliding the papers across the table to Ray and the other man.

The man picked up the papers and looked them over briefly. "You found _seven_?"

"That's what it shows."

"All in one place?"

"Like I said, that's what the radar is showing."

Ray reached out an arm to get a look at the files. The man conceded, handing the papers over to him.

Slowly, Ray flipped page after page after page, looking each one over with a critical eye.

"There's got to be a trick of some sort. A trap, maybe, or a false lead," he concluded. "There's no way you found seven in one place."

"As far as we know, The Dragon has no way to hack our radar network, and we've never picked up Shadow activity outside the gate before," the third man replied.

Ray opened his mouth to argue, but the third man continued talking.

"And there's more," he said. "We think they might be Beacons."

Whatever Ray might have said earlier was irrelevant now, as he slammed his hands down on the table at the same time as the other man. The two locked eyes, and spoke simultaneously, so that it seemed almost like one voice.

"The prophecy."

The man turned back to the third person who had entered the room. "Are you sure you saw all this on the radar?" he asked.

"Sure as I can be," came the reply.

"Then get a party out there. _Now_."

Ray spoke up. "Sir, let me handle this. One man draws much less attention."

"No," said the other man, who was clearly the boss of the three. "We need you here. Besides, it might be a trap."

"But sir," Ray argued. "I can fight as well as ten men outside the gate."

"And you can fight as well as a thousand men inside it," replied the boss, firmly. "Face it, we need you in here."

"But what if it is true?" Ray pressed. "The Shadows are bound to be on them, and I'm not sure if even our best party can hold many of them off."

"And what if it isn't," yelled the other man. "Then you'd be outside the gate, helpless, while The Dragon continues to take over this world. And after he rules Eden, you know it won't be long before the other world falls as well."

"But that's what the prophecy's about, isn't it?" asked Ray, standing up. "Seven beacons, all at once, stopping an evil. Mr. Crook, I believe The Dragon _is_ that evil. I believe that I _am_ the Beacon who will guide them on their journey. And I believe that, sooner or later, seven people _will_ show up and save our world. Mr. Crook, that is what the prophecy says. Why shouldn't it be happening now?"

"But what if they're not the seven? What if you're not the guide? What if this is all a hoax? What then?"

Ray was silent, as Mr. Crook continued speaking.

"Ray, you're the only Beacon we have. We can't afford to lose you, especially at a time like this."

"And if the prophecy is coming true," Ray fought back. "Then this is an opportunity we can't afford to miss. Mr. Crook, let me go. _Please_. I promise I will return with them."

Mr. Crook hesitated slightly, weighing the options of a faint glimmer of hope versus complete and utter defeat and annihilation.

Finally, he sighed. "I'm probably going to regret this," he muttered to himself. Then he looked up at Ray.

"Go ahead, Ray. Meet us at the top of Mount Firemore in two days' time."

"Sir, yes, sir!" Ray stood up, and saluted. Then he turned to the third man, who had been sitting there quietly ever since he mentioned that they might be beacons. "Gordon, I'm gonna need their profiles."

The man handed the appropriate papers over to Ray, who promptly took them and walked out the door.

* * *

"Looks like I need to go to Danville," he murmured to himself, looking over the papers he had just been handed. "To meet a man named Phineas Flynn."

* * *

**Oh, forgot to mention that this prologue is completely OCs. Not to worry, Phineas, Ferb, or someone from the show will be in every chapter, starting with the next one. And I mean an actual appearance, not just having their name mentioned in a single sentence. But it's like I said earlier, this prologue makes little sense. But hey, it did the trick, right? It got your attention. That's what matters. How many of you can't wait for the next chapter? (Raises hand). So if you want another chapter to this, I'm going to have to ask that you, my faithful readers, would be so kind as to read and review. EpicThoth3 out.**


	2. Old Friends and Friendly Strangers

**Okay, this chapter was posted late one weekend. But it's still the weekend (at least, where I live). But let's get to more important matters, such as the disclaimer. You know, where I come out and say that I do not own Phineas and Ferb. Ray, Mr. Crook, and any other unfamiliar characters, however, I do own. They are my creations. They do what I want (well, so do the PnF characters, since I wrote this story, but whatever).**

**Thanks to 14AmyChan for her beta services.**

* * *

_"Looks like I need to go to Danville," he murmured to himself, looking over the papers he had just been handed. "To meet a man named Phineas Flynn."_

* * *

Early one summer morning, a white RV pulled up in front of the Flynn-Fletcher house uninvited. The door opened and a fifteen year old boy with messy brown hair stepped out, accompanied by his nature-loving sister and both parents. The boy looked up expectantly at his parents, who nodded.

"Go ahead," his mom said. "I'm sure they can't wait to see you."

The boy's face lit up, and he dashed to the door and rang the bell.

A redheaded teenager, the same age as the young boy, answered the door, and stepped back in surprise.

"_Django_?!" he screamed. "Is that you?!"

"In the flesh," the boy replied. "Good to see you, too, Phineas."

Phineas let Django in, then rushed up to his room, calling his stepbrother's name over and over again as he did so.

"Ferb," he yelled, overjoyed. "Ferb! Ferb! Guess what?"

Ferb looked up from his book, wondering what could make his brother so happy.

"Django's here!" Phineas proclaimed, throwing open the door and running into the room, fetching his brother.

That, indeed, was cause for celebration. Ferb dropped his book and ran down the stairs right behind the triangle-headed boy to greet the brown-haired boy who they hadn't seen since they were eleven.

Django was waiting for the two boys in the living room when they got down.

"Ferb!" he called, upon seeing the green-haired boy. "Man, it's been such a long time."

"Yes," the Brit agreed. Over the years, he had learned to talk more, though he still spoke very little in comparison to Phineas.

"Four years," Ferb continued. "And we haven't even thought about paying you a visit in San Diego."

"Actually," Django corrected. "It's Los Angeles."

"Oh," Phineas said, chuckling. "Good thing we didn't try, then, huh?"

Django laughed with his friend. "Yeah."

"Anyways," the redhead continued. "What brings you here on this fine summer day?"

"We're going on a road trip to New York," Django explained, holding up a ticket. "N.Y.C.F.C. play their first game ever in a week, so we're spending a few days in Danville, then heading off to catch the game."

"N.Y.C.F.C.?" Phineas asked.

"New York City Football Club," Django clarified. "They're a new MLS team."

For some reason, Phineas laughed at this.

"And I always thought Ferb was the biggest soccer fan!" he said.

"Yeah," Django agreed. "But then I moved in right next to the Galaxy's stadium."

"So how long are you here?" Ferb asked, changing the subject. He didn't like to be thought of as second, especially when it came to soccer. Still, the Brit wanted to spend a good time with their recently reunited friend.

"I think four days," responded Django, causing Phineas' eyes to widen.

"Four days?" he screamed. "We gotta get going, man! Ferb, I know what we're going to do today!"

With that, Phineas dashed out the door into the backyard.

"Nothing's changed, huh?" Django asked Ferb quietly, as the two followed Phineas outside.

"Nope," the Brit responded. "Not even Isabella."

The brown-haired kid slapped himself in the head.

"They're _still_ not together?!" he yelled in disbelief.

Ferb nodded.

"Man, I thought for sure Isabella would've gotten through to him by now!"

Ferb nodded again. "Some things never change."

Just then, Phineas poked his head back inside.

"Hey, Django," he asked. "Would your parents mind if we used their RV? Don't worry, it'll still be able to take you guys to New York."

"Go ahead," said Django. "My mom and dad are mingling with the other parents at Isabella's house."

Django's statement was soon confirmed when Linda walked past the boys with a smile on her face.

"Hey boys!" she called. "Guess what? The Browns are in town!"

It was then that she seemed to notice Django. Her face turned red.

"Oh," she said, and let out a chuckle. "I guess you do know. Oh well, your father and I are off to Vivian's to mingle with the parents."

And she walked out the door with her husband.

The front door was opened again almost as soon as it closed, and in walked Django's sister, Jenny.

"You guys haven't seen Candace, have you?" she asked.

The boys didn't need to answer, for the door was, once again, slammed open. This time, it was the girl in question, Candace herself, that burst through.

"Jenny!" she screamed, enveloping her old friend in a hug.

"Whoa," said Jenny, pushing Candace off her. "That better not be a wool shirt you're wearing."

Candace laughed. "Relax, girl, it's one hundred percent cotton."

Jenny relaxed, only to find Candace dragging her out the door.

"Come on, girl!" she screamed. "Jeremy can't wait to see you!"

Again, Jenny pulled away, her look incredulous. "Whoa," she said. "Jeremy?"

"Yeah," Candace replied, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "I thought you knew we were married."

Before Jenny could send out another protest, Candace had gotten Jenny into the car and driven off.

Django looked at his friends again. "So it's Candace Johnson now, huh?"

"Yep," Phineas replied with a smile.

Django chuckled. "I guess some things did change while I was gone."

"Yes," the redhead enthusiastically agreed. "Yes they did."

What better time than this for Isabella to enter the house? But that was what happened next, as the teenage girl entered the living room.

"Whatcha doin'?" she asked, and, for once, she didn't need an answer, as she saw a third person in the living room with her crush and his stepbrother.

Isabella turned to Phineas. "Is that... _Django_?"

"Who else?" Phineas replied with a laugh.

"No way!" Django said. "Isabella!"

"Django!"

No sooner had the two exchanged greetings, however, than sounds could be heard from the entranceway.

Immediately, Phineas, Ferb, and Isabella shoved Django into the kitchen and out of sight. And just in time, too, as Baljeet and Buford walked into the living room.

"Hey, Dinner Bell!" the bully yelled. "What's going on? And what's the RV doing out front?"

Phineas ran up to them, beaming. "Buford! Baljeet! You'll never believe it!"

"We will never believe what?" the nerd asked. Another thing that had changed over the years was Baljeet's fear of contractions. Though he still refrained from using them, mostly out of habit, he no longer flinched when he heard one. The Indian boy had taken control of his reactions, to some extent.

Just then, Irving slammed the front door open and dashed inside, an eager look dominating his face.

"My spy cameras are showing that Django's here! Where is he? Where is he?"

Irving began frantically lifting up the cushions on the couch, looking for Django. Finally, he tipped over the couch itself, completely unaware that Django had walked back in from the kitchen and was standing right behind him. That detail, however, did not go unnoticed by Buford and Baljeet.

"Django!" Buford screamed, embracing the boy in a hug - sorry, a friendly death grip.

"Hey Buford!" Django said, returning the gesture. Then, lifting his free hand up to wave at the Indian boy, he added, "Hey Baljeet!"

Finally, Irving turned around, and saw the brown-haired kid.

"It really is you!" he said, reaching out his hands and feeling the boy all over, to make sure he was real. Needless to say, this made Django extremely uncomfortable.

"Uhh... hey, Irving," he said, cautiously. "It's, um, good to see you, too."

Irving squealed, and, pulling the couch back to its original position and replacing the cushions, sat down on it. But everyone was granted only a moment's rest by the stalker, as he almost immediately turned to Phineas and asked him a question.

"What are you guys going to do today?"

"It's funny you should ask," the redhead replied, a huge grin quickly developing across his face. "I was just about to get to that."

* * *

_Later that day..._

* * *

Phineas screwed in the last bolt of the wheel and looked up, an excited grin enveloping his face.

"You guys finished over there yet?" he called.

"Yep," Isabella called back. "The stabilizer is fully functional."

"Steering is ready," said Buford.

"I have finished the safeguarding," added Baljeet.

"Vortex assembly, complete," confirmed Irving.

"Location lock is up and running," yelled Django.

Ferb looked at Phineas and gave him the thumbs up.

"Great," said Phineas, abound with excitement. "Let's get going, then!"

The seven teenagers had just finished modifying the RV Django had arrived in, although you would never know it at a glance. Actually, the kids barely made any modifications. All they really did was add an upgrade to it.

"Come on, guys!" Phineas said, waving everyone into the improved car.

"Umm, Phineas?" Django asked. "I've had enough driving around in the past week."

Django was still unsure of what upgrades Phineas had added. Or at least, the full extent of them.

Phineas just smiled. "Don't worry, Django. This will be nothing like any road trip you've ever been on."

"Why?"

"Because Ferb's driving."

Ferb held up his driver's license to show that he was, indeed, qualified to drive the RV. Django felt his jaw go slack. Since when—?

"Did you forget that he turned sixteen last month?" Phineas asked. "Now get in, man! History doesn't wait."

Django began to reluctantly step into the RV, then stopped short.

"Wait, did you say _history_?"

"Yeah," Phineas explained. "This RV can safely drive through any point in history. Now get in!"

Django was still hesitant. He had, after all, been in the RV longer than anyone else, and was getting tired of it.

"Didn't Candace try doing something like that once? And didn't she mess up, big time?"

"Already accounted for," replied Phineas. "The safeguard we added allows us to change whatever we want back in time, and it won't affect the future."

"But what if you, like, killed the president?"

"Dude, don't worry," Phineas responded. "As soon as we leave, history will revert itself to the way it was and is supposed to be, as if we were never there."

That convinced Django, and he sat down in his seat and buckled himself in.

"Eeeee," Irving squealed, as Ferb turned on the engine. "I'm going on an adventure with Phineas and Ferb!"

With that, a vortex emerged from the center of the RV, and engulfed the vehicle entirely, leaving behind an empty street.

* * *

Django opened a closet in the RV and pulled out a guitar. He tossed a tambourine to Isabella, and an accordion to Buford. Immediately, the three began playing a tune, similar to what most people would call a typical trucking song. Phineas picked up the beat, and began singing the lyrics as they came to him.

_If you ask me what our destination is  
I'll answer in a rather cryptic tone  
I'll say we need a science fiction whiz  
And a little bit of home on the road_

_You see, I've walked across the dusty surface of the planet Mars  
I've traveled 'round the world and I've ventured through the stars  
I've undertaken epic quests on a pirate ship  
But I still have yet to take a good old-fashioned road trip... through time  
We're going on a road trip through time  
It's really sublime, we're on a road trip through time_

_We'll check out Ancient Greece and then we'll see medieval France  
We'll visit mother England or attend a '50s dance  
Maybe we'll go to China and help build that Great Wall  
But there's still much more to do, yeah, that ain't all_

_We're on a road trip through time  
That's right, we're on a road trip through time  
I'm feeling mighty fine, we're on a road trip through time_

_There's so much to do  
It's a history zoo  
We've got years to explore  
And there'll always be more..._

_From the Aztec to the Inca  
Macchu Picchu, Costa Rica  
Then we'll take our trip due Eastward  
And we'll meet Augustus Caesar  
See dinosaurs in the foliage  
Or Columbus's great voyage  
Watch the Wright brothers take first flight  
Or Attila and the Huns' might  
The journey of Marco Polo  
See Napoleon go solo_

_It's our first road trip, and I'm sure there'll be another  
And the best part is, we'll be back in time for supper  
On our road trip through time  
How do you like our road trip through time?  
It's one of a kind, this special road trip through time_

_We'll see the glorious rise and mighty fall of Ancient Rome  
Then we'll go back ten thousand years and make some tools from stone  
Vikings in Scandinavia or Egyptians on the Nile  
And we've still got time to go another mile_

_On our road trip through time  
A historical road trip through time  
Both body and mind are on this road trip through time_

_There's so much to do throughout history  
From things that we know to a mystery  
Empires and civilizations  
Great fires, majestic creations  
India to Spain  
In sunshine or rain  
We've got so much to do  
On our road trip through...  
TIME!_

While Phineas proudly proclaimed that last word, Ferb and the others sang their own line, as a backup: _On our road trip through time!_

After that, the guitar on the radio struck a final chord, and the song ended.

Everyone laughed.

"So, where should we go?" asked Phineas.

Isabella immediately gave her verdict.

"How about Paris, 1887?" she offered. "That's when they built the Eiffel Tower."

"All right," said Phineas, after no one else offered a suggestion. Everybody had their own idea, of course, but, unbeknownst to Phineas, they didn't want to get in between Isabella and even the slightest chance at romance with him - it wouldn't end well for them.

"Paris it is, then."

And the RV headed back to 1887, to Paris. But that, like the rest of the road trip, is a story for another day.

* * *

Finally, the seven kids had their fair share of blasts from the past and warped back home only an hour after they began their trip.

"That was awesome!" Django yelled. "Man, I haven't had that much fun since-"

"Since when?" Isabella asked.

"Since I moved away," Django finished, suddenly struck with the realization of exactly how much he had been missing out on.

"Don't worry," said Phineas, putting an arm around his friend's shoulder. "I promise we'll build something that you can take back to L.A. with you. Probably a teleportation device of some kind, so you can come over whenever you want."

Django smiled. "Thanks, Phineas. You're the best."

"Yes," Isabella agreed enthusiastically. "Yes he is."

Just then, an unfamiliar voice spoke from behind them.

"Phineas Flynn?"

Phineas froze. "Ferb was driving, I swear! We did nothing wrong, mister!"

The man laughed. "I'm sure he was," he said. "But that's not why I came here."

Phineas turned around to see another boy, who looked the same age as himself. He wore skinny jeans that were so ragged and torn one might guess that the ancient moths of Sumeria feasted upon them. His blue, short sleeved t-shirt that had the word HERO printed across the front in yellow letters that matched his hair, which was as outlandish as Ferb's green locks. Yet the boy's hair was entirely natural, right down to the four "spikes" sticking out in different directions, making his hair seem twice as big as his head. But, like Phineas, he looked rather normal, despite his eccentricities, in a way that can only be accomplished through animation.

"I'm Ray," the boy said, extending a hand towards Phineas. "I'm here to show you and your friends to what many call paradise."

* * *

**For those of you about to look up that song, you won't find it. Yep, it is 100% original, just like Ray. For those of you wondering what happened on that "road trip through time", I might - might - make another story about that, but I didn't want to write it in here because it would take this story too far off course. This is about the Beacons, not the past. Hence the name. That said, you are all cordially invited to not only read, but review.**


	3. A Matter Of Trust and Arrows

**Lucky me, offline all week. Thats right. Seven days no internet. My excuse for being late with this update. On other topics, every single review I've gotten for the last chapter has praised the song. A shout out to the reviewers for boosting my self-esteem! ****You can assume that I don't own Phineas and Ferb. You can also assume that I do own any character you don't recognize from Phineas and Ferb.**

**Thanks to 14AmyChan for her beta services.**

* * *

_"I'm Ray," the boy said, extending a hand towards Phineas. "I'm here to show you and your friends to what many call paradise."_

* * *

Phineas looked at him suspiciously, questions teeming at his brain. "What?"

"I'm here to show you and your friends to what many call paradise," repeated Ray.

Phineas's suspicious gaze still didn't change. "I heard you," he said. "I'm just not sure if I can trust you. You don't _look_ untrustworthy, but..." he trailed off.

Ray, too, remained silent. What was the procedure for this situation? He knew there was one - ah, yes.

"Let me show you, then," he said. "Follow me."

Still, the children hesitated. "Really?" Phineas asked, somewhat shocked by Ray's offer. "That hasn't changed anything."

Ray stopped again. Wrong procedure! Oh, how he wished he had at least one member from the recruitment team now! He was messing up everything! He sighed, disappointed with his mistakes. Mr. Crook - no, _everyone_ was relying on him here. He took a deep breath, and began to try and explain the situation to the kids.

"Just trust me," he said, his eyes shining with a desire for these kids, his hope - no, _everyone's_ hope, to believe him. "You don't know what kind of danger you're in."

Still, the children did nothing. This man - Ray - looked well-meaning, and—judging by his appearance—was the same age as them. Yet this offer - paradise - it sounded too good. It didn't sound genuine. However, Ray looked and sounded like he was telling the truth - his facial expressions, tone of voice, they all would lead anyone to believe what he was saying. But the words he said - well, you wouldn't be inclined to believe him either.

So Phineas asked, "Why would we come with you?"

Ray sighed once more. His mind was blank. He had no idea what to do to convince these kids. But he knew he needed to. Then, from the back of his head, an idea sprung forth. Not written in the rulebook, because it didn't apply to Embers, but if they were truly the seven from the prophecy, then maybe...

"Have you ever done something weird?" Ray inquired, seemingly out of the blue. "Something you can't explain? Something most people would call impossible?"

Phineas gave Ray another look, one that still spelled his mistrust. "Yeah," he replied, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "All the time."

Ray's hopes soared. He was asking these seven kids the same questions his "rescue" team had asked him. Questions that only a Beacon could answer in such a way as Phineas did. He continued, remembering the next question he had been asked.

"Have you ever wondered why you did those things?"

"Not really," Phineas answered, speaking for the group again. "We really only do them so we can have the best day ever."

Ray smiled. He had given the same basic answer – a resounding no. His hopes were getting higher with every passing second. These could be the seven! If he can just convince them to cross the gate...

The boy continued. "Have you ever wondered _how_ you guys can do the impossible?"

Phineas pondered over Ray's question for a moment. "Actually, no," he said, as if the very thought had never occurred to him, which it actually hadn't. "But that's a good question. I've always put it down to belief."

"I did, too," replied Ray, now talking from experience, no longer using the words of others. "But then I found out that there's more to it. That's what I want to show you. How you can do the impossible."

Now Ray was starting to make a little more sense. At least his words better backed up his appearance and tone. And it was not like he had completely changed his story, like a liar might.

"Okay," said Phineas slowly, still hesitant to drop everything and follow him. "How do you plan to do that?"

"You have to come with me," said Ray.

Exactly what Phineas was trying to avoid. He knew better than to run off with a stranger, and he was especially wary when it involved his friends - he didn't want to put them in any danger whatsoever.

Ray, on the other hand, was still smiling. _These kids,_ he told himself, _can save the world_. He was so close to convincing them. He could feel it.

Actually, what Ray _could_ feel was his hands shivering, uncontrollably. He gasped. That was a sign of one of the impossible things he had been able to do as a kid. Not a good one, either.

A second afterward, Ray's eyesight sharpened drastically. He was suddenly able to hear much better. _Oh, boy_, he thought. _Acuteness of the senses_. Another warning sign Ray experienced before...

Many things happened in the next second, and Ray found himself acting purely on instinct to keep himself and those around him alive.

"Irving, duck!" Ray screamed, before Phineas or anyone else could do anything. Fortunately for him, Irving obeyed without question, hitting the ground like a sack of potatoes. Ray's hand then shot up in front of his face, quickly closing his fist around an object that had definitely _not_ been there a second ago. A gust of wind - very faint, but noticeable nonetheless - blew by the kids, who also caught a slight glimpse of an unfamiliar black object flying past them.

And then, as quickly as it began, it was all over. Ray had closed his fist around an arrow, its blackened tip only centimeters away from the young boy's face. And, judging by the direction it was facing, it had flown right where Irving was standing a second ago. The bespectacled boy gulped, suddenly realizing what a wonder it was that he was still breathing.

Everyone immediately turned and looked into the distance, to where the arrow had been shot from. An unidentifiable figure, realizing that he missed, stood up and ran out of sight. Too shocked to do much else, the kids turned their faces to Ray, silently requiring answers, yet too stunned to make a sound.

"_See_?" Ray asked, pulling the arrow away from his face, a serious frown conveying his new attitude. "It's like I said before. You are in _danger_."

After a few seconds of silence passed, during which everyone processed what had just happened, multiple questions were thrown out at once.

"How did you know my name?"

"What was that?"

"Why an arrow?"

"How come this hasn't happened before?"

"Who was he?"

"Who are _we_?"

"Whoa, now!" Ray yelled, raising his hands into the air in an effort to calm everyone down. "Calm down! I can't answer as fast as you can ask!"

The seven other kids quieted down, yet their eyes still demanded answers. Most were polite, but all had a sense of urgency.

"Thank you," Ray said, once he had gained their rapt attention. "Now, let me explain."

Ray drew short, as he realized how much there was to say, and that he was unsure of how to say it. Eventually, he took a deep breath, and began his monologue.

"That person was a Shadow," he explained. "A bad guy. If I had to guess, he followed me here. He probably shot an arrow because where I come from, they're much more effective than bullets. You seven, like me, are Beacons. We can do the impossible, although we all have our field of excellence. I know your names because I was sent to fetch you. To show you what you are capable of, what you can do. Do you follow me?"

Everyone nodded halfheartedly. Sure, they understood what he had said, but they didn't really understand the entire situation.

"Actually," Ray corrected himself. "Can you _trust_ me?"

"Umm, yeah," Phineas decided, the experience from just moments ago ringing through his mind. "I guess."

"Do you trust me enough to show you what many call paradise?"

Phineas hesitated. Sure, he _trusted_ Ray now. After all, he just saved Irving's life. But he was a stranger, and you know what they say about those kinds of people, no matter if they're adults or not. He turned around to look at his friends, and could tell from the expression on their faces that they felt the same way.

"I..." Phineas hesitated again, and looked back. He saw Ferb nod, ever so slightly. Isabella smiled hopefully. Baljeet, in a similar manner, nodded, somewhat grimly. It was clear to Phineas that, although they all trusted Ray, and all wanted to see what he called paradise, they were still suspicious of him and his intentions. But they all remained silent, and it was also made clear to Phineas that the final decision rested upon his shoulders.

"I suppose so," he concluded.

Ray heaved a sigh of relief. He would hate to imagine what would happen should Phineas have said no. He would have failed, their window of opportunity would have closed, and they would have had very little defense against the Dragon. Everything would have seemed hopeless.

But here, in front of him, stood a chance. A hope. A possibility. It was rare enough to find anyone capable of coming over. Even rarer still to find two in one place. The chances of finding seven, all in one place, were ridiculously minute, something like one in thirty-six thousand. Add that to the fact that these seven were all very likely to be Beacons. Only once before has there ever been more than one Beacon at once. Even then, there were only two. So to find seven more Beacons _anywhere _in the world would be considered impossible.

But now Ray had discovered not one, but seven Beacons, all in one place. The chances of that, Ray didn't want to know. Something like one in thirty-six _billion_. There was only one possible explanation in Ray's mind. The prophecy.

A grin slowly formed on Ray's face. "Great," he said. "Let's go."

* * *

**And, just like that, the chapter is over. See you next week! Maybe. It'll help if you read and review.**


	4. A Paradise Lost

**Finally, I find myself able to post this chapter. Took me long enough. Disclaimer-wise, I can only say I have ownership rights to- well, since there are too many OCs in this story with cameos that I'll have to mention, it'll just be easier for me to say that I don't own Phineas, Ferb, Isabella, Baljeet, Buford, Irving, and Django. And any other characters that you've heard of before.**

**Thanks to 14AmyChan for her beta services.**

* * *

_A grin slowly formed on Ray's face. "Great," he said. "Let's go."_

* * *

Today was not a good day to mess up. The Dragon was in a bad mood. No sooner had the archer tried—and failed—to kill Ray than his body went limp, and he fell to the ground, dead.

The Dragon watched it all unfold on a large viewing glass he had designed, that would allow him to see almost anything he wanted. Indeed, the Dragon had actually killed the Shadow the moment he tried to run off.

"He can count himself lucky that his death was quick and painless," he mumbled irrately before looking up at the masses of people below him.

"Anyone else?" he asked the crowd, who had also just seen the Dragon kill that Shadow with a snap of his fingers.

Everyone took a step back, praying that they might avoid a fate like the man on the other side of the glass. Many whimpered in fear, only to have those around them hush the noise. The Dragon was not one for pleading or whimpering of any sort, and many feared such sounds would result in a mass execution.

"Good," the Dragon barked harshly. Then he turned and walked back through a door into the room behind him, the centre of which was dominated by his throne of gold.

The Dragon marveled for a moment at the architectural wonders of the place. The room itself was designed to resemble a hellish stereotype - the walls reached impossibly high, eventually curving sharply into a black ceiling that made it appear as if there was no top to the room. Every groove carved into the floor and walls was accentuated by the red and orange paint, so that no matter where you looked, one would get the impression that they were burning in flames. In other words, the Dragon felt right at home as he sat on his golden throne, which was designed to look equally evil and grand.

After a moment's thought, however, he called for a guard.

"Reginald!"

A short, scrawny man scurried into the room and saluted, fear palpitating from his very being as he raced to serve the grotesque monstrosity he attended.

"Do you know why I made you director of my army?" he inquired, the sadistic grin on his face adding an evil undertone to the question.

"It's, uh- it's... it's b-because I'm, uh, skinny, o-of no p-practical valu... I'm w-worthless in battle, and obey a-a-all your orders... all your orders w-without question," the man stuttered. His very knees shook and caused his entire body to tremble. This soundless display of fear caused the Dragon's sick smile to curl even further into his demonic head as he nodded.

"Good," he said, evil intent shining through. "Now, I want you-"

"A-and also b-b-because I have a sp... a speaking p-problem!" Reginald screamed, before clamming his mouth shut and cowering in terror.

His boss eyed him over slowly, menacingly. The slits that were known as his eyes examined the bumbling fool before him as said man realized his mistake. The poor soul's eyes widened in fright.

"I didn't... I-I-I d-didn't mean to int... interrupt you, sir!" Reginald apologized. A desperate attempt to save his life. The Dragon's sadistic smile unfurled into a frightening snarl, one that would weaken the will of any man, regardless of their bravery.

The Dragon continued to stare at Reginald for a solid minute, his gaze unfaltering. Finally, he leaned back, as if it weren't worth the energy to kill his army's director and appoint a new one from the hundreds of thousands of people he had under his command.

"As I was saying," he restated sharply. "I want you to send five thousand troops to Mount Firemore. There they are to set a perimeter around its base, and stay there until I call them back, or they die. Whichever comes first."

Reginald nodded rapidly, grateful to still be standing. "S-s-sir, yes, sir!"

But the Dragon wasn't done. "I also want you to send a special ops unit to the top of the mountain. No more than five men. I understand that the B.L.A.D.E. will be landing there soon for a pick up. I need a tracking device on it."

"Under... understood, s-sir!"

"Very well then," the Dragon said, his tone laced with boredom. A frightful mood for the Dragon to be in for any and all persons in the room. "Dismissed."

And Reginald scurried out of the room, clinging to his existence for dear life.

* * *

There was a spring in Ray's step as he walked along. Indeed, the happiness in his heart was unmistakable. A man of extreme faith and fierce loyalty, he had quickly grown attached to the seven. That is, Phineas, Ferb, Isabella, Baljeet, Buford, Irving, and Django.

The prophecy said seven. Ray found seven. It was as simple as that. Ray believed that these seven were the ones the prophecy spoke of. There was nothing more to it. Except, you know, the whole saving the world part. That had not happened yet. Yet, in the midst of it all, that part remained the clearest to Ray. Because his world, right now, needs saving.

It was not a long walk, but the destination was oddly dubious, to say the least. The eight kids found themselves in the middle of a dark alleyway when Ray stopped. Needless to say, everyone's suspicions of Ray were aroused again.

"An alleyway?" Isabella remarked. "That's where you're taking us?"

"Yeah," replied Ray. "I know the setting is kind of counterproductive, but it's the closest gate. Unless you want to go to the cemetery."

"So we exchange one creepy place for another?" asked Irving.

"Pretty much," Ray explained. "For some reason, most gates are in ominous places."

"Could we not have gone to Buford's bedroom, then?" inquired Baljeet, seizing the opportunity to poke some fun at the bully. "That place scares the contractions out of me, and it is much closer."

"Hey!"

Ray suppressed a smile. "I don't think so."

"What are gates, anyways?" asked Django. "I don't see any around here."

"Gates are basically portals to paradise," Ray explained again. "The Gate is the undetectable barrier between us and paradise."

Isabella's brow furrowed. "I don't see how a dark alleyway can be considered paradise."

"Well, for rats," Ray said, walking up to a dumpster. "It's heaven on Earth. Of course, the alleyway isn't our paradise."

Ray suddenly spun around, his eyes scanning the place for any unauthorized sign of intelligent life. Finding none, he turned back to the dumpster, and put his hand on it.

For a moment, everything was silent. Eerily silent. The gang of seven shifted on their feet nervously before Ray turned to them.

"Well, come on, now," he said, beckoning them towards the dumpster with his other hand. "Don't want to leave you behind now."

Phineas hesitated. "So, you mysteriously showed up at our house, saved Irving's life, and asked us to follow you, just so we could put our hands on a dumpster?"

"It is rather odd," agreed Ferb.

"Well, what were you thinking of when I said paradise?" asked Ray in response. "Pearly gates?"

"Umm... I guess," answered Phineas. Though he was the king of the oblivious, he still had some obvious expectations when one would say 'paradise', as any sane person would.

"Well, here's a life lesson for you, then," said Ray, his tone oddly cryptic. "The road to paradise is covered in dirt. That's why it's so hard to find. Now, are you coming or not?"

Ray pressed his hand firmly into the dumpster as if to prove his point.

Irving barely hesitated. Ray had unintentionally grown on the young boy after he saved his life.

Django was next to follow suit. He had come here for an adventure, and if it meant touching a dumpster to get one, well then, he would have to touch a dumpster. Besides, it was not the most disgusting thing in the world. He had seen Buford's bedroom. He could not repress the shiver that came with that morbid thought.

Speaking of the bully, he—as the one most likely to touch an unsanitary object without proper sterilization techniques—was the next person to put his hand on the dumpster. Baljeet followed him. Then Phineas. Then Isabella. And finally, Ferb, who made sure that his handkerchief was between his hand and the dumpster.

"Great," Ray said, once everyone had a hand on the dumpster. "Now, this might feel a little weird."

"Wait, what?" Phineas asked, his doubts immediately resurfacing. But it was too late to turn back, because Ray screamed a command word - _go_ - and everything, including the dumpster, vanished with a very distinct pop.

* * *

The eight kids (and dumpster) reappeared on an unfamiliar terrain. The first thing they noticed was the distinct lack of a dark alleyway, where they had been only moments earlier. In fact, there wasn't a building in sight. No where even close.

Taking a good look at their new surroundings, the kids found themselves on an expansive plain. Nearby, a river made a soothing sound as it trickled downstream. On their other side, a few trees were scattered across the land, which eventually expanded into a large forest as it got further away from the kids. In the distance, the sun could be seen setting behind a mountain range, making one particular mountain turn a deep, thought-provoking crimson. A calm, gentle breeze blew across the vast, open landscape, perfectly offsetting the heat of the day and making the kids feel right at home. Behind the kids, there were cliffs that rose almost impossibly high, the bottom of one which opened up into a cave that the river was flowing into. Beneath their feet, there was an incredible flowerbed filled with all kinds of beautiful flowers—from petunias to marigolds to daffodils—that filled the air with a beautiful, refreshing smell.

Taken all at once, it was a truly unique sight, beautiful in every way, in which everyone felt right at home. But still, it was unfamiliar land, and Phineas found himself asking the first, most obvious question.

"Where are we?"

Ray stood up, spoke another command word (return), and the dumpster - the one flaw in the landscape - vanished. He then spread his arms out and sighed deeply.

_It's good to be back_, he thought, happiness radiating from his features. Then he looked down at the kids with a grand smile.

"Welcome," he said, the serenity in his tone unmistakeable. "To Eden."

"But is that not just a myth?" Baljeet, who had always been the most skeptical of the bunch, asked.

"Does it look like a myth?" answered Ray, again with a question.

"It's..." Isabella began, sighing dreamily. "It's beautiful."

"Yeah," agreed Django. "I've never seen anything like it."

After a moment's hesitation, the brown-haired boy added, "Jenny would love it."

"Yes," said Ray. "This is Eden. The perfect harmony of nature, technology, science, and fantasy. Home of all that is good in life."

Oddly, Ray regretted what he said as soon as he said it. _We are at war_, he scolded himself._ How can I tell these kids this world is perfect when there is so much going so terribly wrong?_

"I... I love it," Phineas breathed, distracting Ray from his mental barrage. "This is perfect. Really. I don't know what to say."

"Then say nothing," replied Ferb, in the wise, all-knowing manner he had mastered over the years.

Thus followed a period of absolute silence, where the only audible sounds were the serene trickling of the river, and the song the birds sang from the forest. Whether it lasted a minute or an hour, nobody knew. Nobody cared. The moment that they were sharing together right now would be cherished in their minds for eternity. It was the perfect moment.

Only when the sun had fallen even lower in the sky, turning the distant mountain from a beautiful crimson to a fiery orange, did Ray break the silence.

"Get in the cave," he said, standing up and walking over there. "We sleep there tonight."

Phineas was surprised by the firmness in his voice, but oddly, he did not object. However—having the rebellious nature that he posessed—Buford did.

"What are we gonna sleep on, huh?" the bully demanded, equally firmly.

Ray responded sarcastically, rolling his eyes for the extra effort it was worth. "Pick some flowers," he joked. "Make yourself a flowerbed."

Then he turned and walked into the cave without waiting for a response.

As the kids soon discovered, there was no need for a flowerbed in the cave. Instead, what they found were ditches in the ground that, if you were to lie down in one, would seem to fit your body perfectly, and were actually quite comfortable, despite their rocky texture. In addition to that, the cave kept out the breeze, so it was much warmer in there, eliminating the need for a blanket. Multiple overhangs and rock outcrops separated the cave into different "rooms", enough for each person to have their own. Finally, and probably most incredibly, the river took many twists and turns once entering the cave, so that it flowed through each individual "room" at least once, and could easily be used as a bathtub, drinking fountain, toilet, and sink, all at the same time. The kids marveled at the sight, and each immediately claimed an area for his or her own.

Things went fairly smoothly after that. Each kid performed his or her necessary bedtime actions, bade each other a good night, curled up in one of the ditches, and closed their eyes. It had been a good day, and they were falling asleep knowing they had seized it.

* * *

Later that night, Ray found himself lying awake in his ditch, staring out of the mouth of the cave at the distant mountain, now turned a deep violet by the dying rays of the evening sun.

_What am I going to tell them_, he thought. _How will they react when they find out the real reason I brought them here?_

_Don't worry about it_, a different portion of his mind argued. _You got them here. That was the most important goal. The next goal is to get them to Mr. Crook, at the top of Mount Firemore._

He looked at the purple mountain in the distance. The one they needed to climb by the next evening. It would most likely be a long and tiresome trek, yet a necessary one if this entire land were to be as lively and beautiful as the gulley in which they were all situated.

_But the kids will hate you for not telling them_, his mind retorted. _Tell them now, and give them a chance to turn back._

This argument—a heated battle between Ray's moral values and his ultimate goal—went back and forth in his mind for quite some time, and Ray quickly found his head hurting from the silent, yet constant voices.

_What are they going to think of me when I tell them_, he asked himself. He felt so deceptive for not being straightforward with them. He had already withheld two major secrets concerning them. One was the war. The other...

Ray clenched his right hand into a fist. All of a sudden, the fingers seemed to meld together, and a silver object began to extend outward from his knuckles. When the transformation was complete, Ray's hand had turned into a shining silver sword, glistening in the moonlight. The transformation itself was painless, and took only a couple of seconds, but it made Ray flinch every time he did it. Because it reminded him so well of what his life was like now, compared to what it used to be like. Now, he was a soldier in a war. Nothing more than a pawn fighting for its freedom. That was how Ray saw himself, how the world he lived in most probably viewed him.

_Like a superhero_, he thought._ A duty to the mask - in my case, the sword - and a life without it._

He unclenched his fist, and just as quickly, the sword disappeared, his right hand in its place. Ray sighed, defeat etched into his features. He turned to the seven serenely slumbering teenagers, his decision becoming as solid as the rocks that surrounded him.

_I'll tell them tomorrow_, he vowed. _For now, let them enjoy their paradise._

* * *

**Well, we got our first look at the Dragon in this chapter. Is he cruel enough an antagonist for your likes? And what of Eden? Man, that place sounds like heaven. Oh, and Ray? Who would've guessed? The plot thickens, my friends. And there is still more to come. Secrets to be revealed. Memories to be made. Chapters to type. So I leave you, asking for nothing more than for you to read and review.**


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